WO1999031626A1 - Substrate provided with an electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a substrate provided with at least part of a system for identifying objects without contact, comprising at least an electronic device for receiving and transmitting magnetic waves coupled with an electronic module for processing the received signals and re-transmitting others. The invention is characterised in that the substrate is based on cellulose fibres and the electronic device is inserted in said substrate. The invention also concerns a method for making such a substrate.

Description

 SUBSTRATE PROVIDED WITH AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

The present invention relates to a substrate provided with a part of a system for the contactless identification of objects.

It is known to locate and identify objects to associate these with electronic devices called "electronic tags"

Such a label is provided with a device for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic waves coupled with an electronic module making it possible to process received signals and to re-emit others, notably comprising a message identifying the label. , and therefore of the object with which it is associated Furthermore, the system includes a reader comprising a device for transmitting / receiving electromagnetic waves so as to transmit the information between a data terminal and said electronic tag

The reader fulfills several functions and in particular is used to

- transmit to the label the energy necessary for its operation, the label being devoid of a specific autonomous energy source.

- transmit data coming from the terminal to the label, this data being, if necessary, writable in a memory of which the label is provided,

- receive data from the label and specific to them, in particular for its identification

Until recently, most applications, for which a electronic label of the type mentioned above was intended, satisfied with a simultaneous reading of a limited number (less than 10) of labels in the interrogation field

The targeted applications were also controlling access to a facility, monitoring access to a facility for people or luggage, counting objects, in particular for stock management in a factory or industrial facility, or even recognition of the passage of objects, such as cars at a toll.

To meet specific applications, in which a large number of labels must be read securely, simultaneously and quickly, and the transmission of data must be possible either label by label or for the totality of the labels, improvements to the said labels were brought

Such an improvement is for example described in the French patents FR 2 741 978, FR 2 741 979, FR 2 741 980. Thanks to this improvement, it is now possible to meet the above requirements at lower cost; all the labels can be disseminated in a large volume, of the order of a few m ³

Thus, for example, the control, accounting and / or verification of items purchased by a barge in a large area are now made possible The management of a storage workshop or transport logistics are also possible.

In addition, this functional improvement of electronic labels which allows them to be adapted to very specific applications, was advantageously accompanied by a dimensional improvement.

Indeed, some labels have been considerably miniaturized so that they now have a thickness of less than a millimeter for a maximum width of around two centimeters

Such miniaturization obviously poses a problem of solidaπsation of a label of the type mentioned above to the object capable of being located and / or identified by means of such a label.

The invention therefore aims to solve the problem posed and in particular to propose a new packaging of an electronic device having the characteristics of the electronic label mentioned above, which is capable of being easily affixed to an object, regardless of the form and purpose of the latter

This object is achieved thanks to a substrate provided with at least part of a system for the contactless identification of objects comprising at least one electronic device comprising a device for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic waves coupled with a electronic module for processing received signals and re-transmitting others, characterized in that it is based on cellulosic fibers and in that the electronic device is inserted in said substrate.

By the expression "inserted in the substrate" we must understand HERE and in the rest of the text, introduced into the substrate so as to be incorporated therein

Thus, according to the different forms of the substrate based on cellulosic fibers, the electronic device can be, in the context of the invention, either embedded in the substrate, that is to say taken in its mass, or interposed inside .

In addition to the fact that it responds perfectly to the problem posed, the solution according to the invention has this extremely advantageous, that it offers a substrate that is entirely and easily recyclable

Furthermore, the electromagnetic waves emitted and received by the electronic device are in no way disturbed by the substrate according to the invention, whatever their range of frequency of use.

The combination of the electronic device and the cellulosic substrate according to the invention can constitute in itself both a product and a packaging of the electronic device. By the nature of the substrate, it can be easily incorporated, linked to any object that the we want to mark and / or locate

This conditioning can be considered as a vector of the electronic device as a protection of the latter

Advantageously, the device for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic waves according to the invention further comprises an antenna, preferably of the type comprising a coil.

Such a configuration leaves great flexibility in the choice of station or of the interrogation portal capable of being implemented as a reader and transmitter of data to the electronic device conforming to the invention

Thus, according to the orientations given to the winding of the latter, the interrogation station can comprise a single inductor, bi-axis or tri-axis

According to a first variant of the substrate according to the invention, the cellulosic fibers of the substrate are in the form of at least one layer in which the electronic device is embedded

Very advantageously, the specific volume of the layer is between 1 and 10 cm ³ / g

It is specified that in the context of the invention, by specific volume is meant the ratio between the thickness and the grammage of the layer

By ensuring such a range, the electronic device is not only inserted into the layer according to the invention, but, in addition, it is made invisible to the naked eye

What is more, when it is completely embedded in the layer, that is to say that none of its faces emerges from the layer, the electronic device according to the invention is all the better mechanically protected. terms, its durability is further increased

According to this same variant, the layer can take several forms. It can first of all comprise at least one sheet of paper or cardboard.

It can also include a molded cellulose mattress It can finally include a flat cardboard with at least two sheets

According to a second variant, the substrate according to the invention comprises at least one compact cardboard. This can include two sheets of paper glued together and between which the electronic device II is inserted. It can also include a sheet of cellulosic fibers wound on it. even inside which said electronic device is inserted This compact cardboard can, for example, be rolled up in the form of a tube

According to a third preferred variant, the substrate according to the invention comprises at least one corrugated cardboard comprising at least one groove and at least one double-sided cover glued together and between which the electronic device is interposed

According to an additional characteristic, the fiber-based substrate cellulosic has an overall stiffness of at least 5 mN m

In fact, rigidity is the degree of resistance present by the substrate based on cellulosic fibers when it is bent under specific conditions.

In particular, when the substrate according to the invention is in the form of a cardboard, rigidity is one of the important characteristics, with respect to the use made of said cardboard

Also, giving the result based on cellulosic fibers a minimum rigidity such as that defined above amounts to ensuring, for sure, the "physical" integrity of the electronic device when the same substrate is subjected to specific specific stresses. to the intended final application, stresses which may for example be related to stacking in the case where the substrate according to the invention of the cardboard, is a packaging put in the form of a box or a box

The invention also relates to a packaging comprising a substrate as defined above. This packaging may be parallelepipedic and / or with curved wall (s) or of any other form substantially matching the shape of the packaged product.

In particular, it may be a packaging made of corrugated cardboard obtained in accordance with the process described in French patent application FR 97/05558 filed on May 6, 1997.

The invention finally relates to a method for obtaining a substrate provided with at least part of a system for the contactless identification of objects comprising at least one electronic device comprising a device for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic waves coupled with an electronic module making it possible to process received signals and to re-emit others, process in which the following steps are carried out concomitantly a) a substrate based on cellulosic fibers is produced b) said device is inserted into the substrate

Such a process is very advantageous on the industrial level since it does not require any particular industrial adaptation

In fact, the step of inserting the electronic device according to the invention is carried out continuously and is completely integrated into the processes for manufacturing substrates based on existing cellulose fibers, whether they are mainly in the form of paper or cardboard

To carry out the insertion step, several variants can be envisaged depending on the final shape which one wishes to give to the substrate.

According to a first variant, the insertion is carried out in the wet part of a paper or cardboard machine

According to this same variant, insertion can be envisaged alternately

- in a liquid pulp of cellulosic fibers, in an area where the humidity is between 80 and 95%,

- during the marriage of two liquid layers of cellulosic fibers, preferably in an area where the humidity is between 50 and 70%,

- in a sheet of cellulosic fibers at the time of its winding on itself, preferably in an area where the humidity is between 5 and 10%

According to other variants, the electronic device can also be inserted between two sheets so as to produce a "sandwich"

It is thus possible to insert between two sheets of paper immediately before their laminating, preferably in an area where the humidity is between 5 and 10%

It is also possible, when one wishes to obtain a corrugated cardboard, to carry out the insertion between a single-sided sheet having a groove and a double-sided cover, immediately before bonding

Finally, when it is desired to obtain a corrugated cardboard box, insert it between two corrugated cardboard plates in an area where two parts of a box tab are secured. The invention is capable of numerous and varied applications These may be labeling and / or identification ^of objects such as books, clothing, food drives, industrial products, electronic equipment, rolls or sheet holder chucks

It can also be the identification of products and services such as credit cards, telephone cards, tickets for land transport by sea or air.

It can also be techniques for detecting counterfeit articles, more particularly luxury articles such as clothing. Finally, it may involve communication techniques by transmitting information contained in the electronic device according to the invention on display screens, for example for advertising purposes.

Other details and advantageous characteristics of the invention will emerge below on reading non-limiting embodiments, made with reference to the figures which represent

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a molded cellulose packaging box in accordance with the invention,

- Figures 2a, 2b, 2c a general elevational view of a device for manufacturing a flat cardboard according to the invention, an elevational view of part of the same device, a perspective view of a carton dish obtained according to this device;

- Figures 3a, 3b, 3c a general elevational view of part of a device for manufacturing a double-sided corrugated cardboard according to the invention, a perspective view of the same cardboard cut into a plate and, finally , a perspective view of a corrugated cardboard packaging case obtained from this plate,

- Figure 4 a sectional view of a portion of a corrugated cardboard packaging case according to the invention; - Figure 5 a sectional view of a compact cardboard tube according to the invention

First of all, it should be pointed out that, for the sake of clarity, the figures are extremely schematic and do not respect the relative proportions between the different elements. It is also specified that the electronic device 4, described in all the exemplary embodiments below, has essentially the same characteristics as the electronic label described in the aforementioned French patent.

FR 2,741,978 and its operation is analogous to that described in the aforementioned French patents FR 2,741,979 and FR 2,741,980 In particular, the receiving device ^and integrated electromagnetic wave transmission includes an antenna which itself comprises even a winding.

Finally, it is specified that this same electronic device is presented under the form of a circular part 4 with a diameter ranging from a few millimeters to a few centimeters and a thickness of between 50 and 550 micrometers.

We first refer to Figure 1. This is a sectional view of a box 1 of molded cellulose packaging having a cover 2 and a bottom 3. This bottom 3 is intended to serve as a wedge for transport various and varied electronic devices (mobile phones, etc.)

In the cover 2 is embedded an electronic device 4 which is therefore made invisible to the naked eye.

This electronic device 4 has the function of locating and identifying the electronic equipment housed in the box 1 and contains a certain amount of information, such as the total price, the date of manufacture and the references of these devices.

To insert this electronic device 4 into the box 1, the procedure was as follows: - a liquid paste was prepared, in a conventional manner, by suspending virgin or recycled cellulose cellulose fibers in a liquid vehicle, preferably in the form of water,

- said paste was poured into a mold of complementary shape to the box 1 while allowing the liquid vehicle to flow until the humidity level reaches 80 to 95%,

- once this humidity level has been reached, the electronic device 4 has been positioned in the dough,

- Finally, a press was made of the assembly thus formed, said press being of shape conforming to that of the mold. The force exerted by the press was adjusted so that the specific volume of the cellulose mattress was of the order of 2 cm ³ / g.

Under these conditions, all the faces of the electronic device 4 are covered with a thickness e of at least 50 micrometers of mattress described above. Of course, this thickness e depends on the nature of the vegetable fibers used and on their final density once the packaging is dried, density directly proportional to the force exerted by the press.

Those skilled in the art must adapt these parameters as desired according to the intended end application

We now refer to Figures 2a, 2b and 2c relating to a flat carton according to the invention

FIG. 2a is a general elevation view of part of a device for manufacturing a flat carton according to the invention

The manufacturing device 5 also comprises three autonomous devices 6 (6a, 6b, 6c) aligned one after the other

Each of these autonomous devices 6 has the role of laying down a liquid sheet formed from a pulp of cellulosic fibers, as will be described below, on a conveyor support 7, called gripping felt, the direction of movement of which is indicated by arrow f in Figure 2a.

Downstream of these autonomous devices 6 and once the liquid sheets have interpenetrated each other, the conveyor support 7 passes through a set of drip presses 8 which definitively assembles the sheets in sheets, sheets which in turn form the carton flat 9.

Obviously, to complete the manufacture of this flat cardboard 9, the manufacturing device 5 also includes downstream devices known per se such as press and dryer

Let's go back now to the autonomous devices 6 for forming a liquid layer

Figure 2b is an elevational view of the device 6b This essentially comprises a round shape 10 rotated in a container 1 1 surmounted by a base 12 This base 12 leaves only a fraction 13 of the round form 10 The tank 1 1, meanwhile, communicates with a pipe 14 through which the liquid pulp of cellulosic fibers 15 arrives

A pressure roller 16, called a lifting press, applies the conveyor support 7 against the fraction 13 emerging from the round shape 10

Finally, a distributor 17 of electronic devices 4 is fixed on the base 12 immediately near the front part of the aforementioned fraction 13

The operation of this device is as follows in the round shape 10 in rotation continuously takes a regular quantity of the liquid pulp 13 of cellulose fibers in the form of a sheet of thickness proportional to the speed of rotation of the round shape 10

The distributor 17 deposits an electronic device 4 on this sheet. In contact with the pressure roller 16, the electronic device 4 is submerged during the interpenetration of the sheet with the conveyor support 7 under which there is another liquid sheet coming from the forming device 6a located upstream, in an area where the humidity is between 50 and 70%.

The frequency with which the dispenser deposits electronic devices 4 on the round shape 10 is defined as a function of the use and therefore, in addition, of the final dimensions of the flat cardboard sought. This deposit can be made, for example, at regular intervals and its control can be controlled by a presence detector of the electronic device 4 in the flat carton. The detector is positioned, for example, completely downstream of the manufacturing device 5.

Anyway, all these adjustments are within the reach of those skilled in the art and he can establish his choices according to the desired properties, specific to the use of the product in flat cardboard, such as stiffness, printability, machinability.

FIG. 2c shows a perspective view of a metro ticket 18 made of flat cardboard 19 obtained from the device which has just been described. Compared to existing tickets, it no longer has a magnetic strip and its identification is carried out by means of the inserted electronic device 4.

FIG. 3a represents a part of a device for manufacturing a double-sided corrugated cardboard. In this manufacturing device 20, a single-sided cover 21, of grammage equal to 150 g / cm ² and coming from a coil 22 passes around a preheater cylinder 23 while being kept under tension by the tension rollers 24.

After passing around a roller ^assembly 25, it is manufactured with a groove 26 with a grammage of 120 g / cm ² and pre-warmed by passage around a preheat cylinder 27. It is then encoliée in using a sizing device 28 The single-sided tablecloth

29 thus formed is driven, inter alia, by a belt 30 to a preheater cylinder 31 then to a second gluing device 32 before being assembled with the double-sided cover 33 This double-sided cover weighing 200 g / cm ² and coming from a coil 34 passes around a preheater cylinder 35 then is assembled with the single-sided ply 29. An automatic device, not shown, positions an electronic device 4 on the double-sided cover 33 immediately before being assembled with the single-sided ply 29

The double-sided sheet 36 thus formed then passes between several heating tables 37 disposed upstream of a traction belt 38 and an upper belt 39 so as to exert sufficient pressure on said sheet 36 and constitute a double-sided corrugated board 40

FIG. 3b represents a plate 41 cut from the double-sided corrugated cardboard 40 obtained in accordance with the above.

This plate 41 is pre-cut in turn along the cutting lines shown in solid lines and then is folded. along the dotted lines, so as to obtain the packing case 42 shown in Figure 3c.

This packing box is then ready to package various products, the marking and / or marking of which can be carried out from the device 4 inserted. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of part of a packing box 43 made of cardboard corrugated, in accordance with that mentioned above except that the electronic device 4 is inserted between two plates of corrugated cardboard 44, 45 whose ends 46, 47 constitute the two respective parts of the same tab 48 of the body.

To carry out the insertion, a processing machine of the folder-gluer type known per se was used. The two ends 46, 47 were folded, placed at their interface the electronic device before stapling the assembly so as to constitute the tab 48.

Figure 5 shows a sectional view of a compact cardboard tube 49 The electronic device 4 is HERE placed at the interface of two sheets of paper 50 51 which constitute the tube 49

This tube 49 can serve as a support mandrel for paper reels of packaging tubes for cylindrical containers of the bottle type.

To carry out the insertion, a first sheet of paper 50 is wound here. on a roller then we have while carrying out the lamination of a second sheet of paper 51 on the first 50 places at their interface the electronic device 4 in an area where the humidity of each of the two sheets 50, 51 is between 5 and 8% The lamination was carried out using a starch glue This can also be a vmyhque glue or based on starch

It should be noted that whatever the embodiment of the invention described above, the insertion of the electronic device 4 was carried out without any particular adaptation of the latter In addition, it perfectly withstood mechanical conditions, humidity and pressure encountered in the various manufacturing devices described

Of course, various modifications of detail can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, to the extent that, once inserted into the substrate based on cellulosic fibers, the integrity and the reliability of the electronic device are ensured

Claims

CLAIMS 1 Substrate provided with at least part of a system for the contactless identification of objects comprising at least one electronic device (4) comprising a device for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic waves coupled with an electronic module making it possible to process received signals and re-emit others, characterized in that it is based on cellulosic fibers (2, 19, 40, 43, 49) and in that the electronic device is inserted in said substrate 2. Substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that the device for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic waves further comprises an antenna, preferably of the type comprising a coil. 3 substrate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cellulosic fibers are in the form of at least one layer (2) in which the electronic device is embedded 4 substrate according to claim 3, characterized in that the specific volume layer is between 1 and 10 cm ³ / g 5 substrate according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the layer comprises at least one sheet of paper or at least one sheet of cardboard 6 substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the layer includes a molded cellulose mattress (2) 7 substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the layer comprises a flat cardboard (19) comprising at least two sheets 8 substrate according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises at least a compact cardboard comprising two sheets of paper glued together and between which is interposed the electronic device or a sheet of cellulosic fibers wound on itself and inside which is interposed said electronic device 9 Substrate according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that it comprises at least one corrugated cardboard (40) comprising at least one groove (26) and at least one double-sided cover (33) glued together and between which the electronic device is interposed 10 Substrate according to claim 8 or 9. characterized in that it has an overall rigidity of at least 5 mN m 11 Packaging comprising a substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 10 12 Method of obtaining a substrate provided with at least part of a system for the contactless identification of objects comprising at least one electronic device comprising a device for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic waves coupled with an electronic module making it possible to process received signals and to re-emit others, characterized in that the following steps are carried out concomitantly a) a substrate is manufactured based on cellulosic fibers b) inserting said electronic device into the substrate 13 Method according to claim 12, characterized in that one carries out the insertion in the wet part of a paper or cardboard machine 14 Method according to claim 13, characterized in that one carries out the insertion in a pulp cellulose fiber liquid, in an area where the humidity is between 80 and 95% 15 Method according to claim 13, characterized in that one carries out the insertion during marriage of two liquid layers of cellulosic fibers, preferably in an area where the humidity is between 50 and 70% 16 Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the insertion is carried out in a sheet of cellulosic fibers at the time of its winding on itself, preferably in an area where the humidity is between 5 and 10 % 17 The method of claim 12, characterized in that the insertion is carried out between two sheets of paper immediately before their lamination, preferably in an area where the humidity is between 5 and 10% 18 Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the insertion is carried out between a single-sided sheet having a groove and a double-sided cover immediately before bonding 19 A method according to claim 12, characterized in that the insertion is carried out between two corrugated cardboard plates in an area where two parts of a body tab are secured 20. Application of the substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or of the method according to any one of claims 12 to 19 to the marking and / or location of objects such as books, clothes, discs, food products, industrial products , electronic equipment, rollers and ^; sheet support chucks ... 21. Application of the substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or of the method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, to the identification of products and services such as credit cards, telephone cards, tickets land, sea or air transport ...